Ellen Bravo - Taking On the Big Boys: Or Why Feminism Is Good for Families, Business, and the Nation

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR TAKING ON THE BIG BOYS

Taking on the Big Boys is feminism at its butt-kicking bestan expos, a manifesto, and a spirited, delightful read. I thought I knew a lot about womens economic status before I read this book, but I had barely scratched the surface. Bravo for Bravo!

Barbara Ehrenreich, author of bestselling Nickel and Dimed

Please, please, please. All working women must read this book! Not only does Ellen Bravo vividly expose workplace inequities, she lays out real life solutionspicking up just where my film, Nine to Five left off.

Jane Fonda

Taking on the Big Boys is an autobiographical, practical, realistic, compelling, humorous and carefully crafted discussion of contemporary workplace issues for women from the vantage point of a committed, veteran feminist activist/writer. Ellen Bravo believes still that the goals of the womens movement in the United States are reachable and she tells usclearly and simplywhat we must do. Her reflections on pay equity, sexual harassment, welfare reform, balancing work and family, and a broad range of other issues are heart-felt and compel us to action. Lets get moving!!!

Beverly Guy-Sheftall, founding director of the Womens Research & Resource Center, Spelman College, and coauthor of Gender Talk: The Struggle for Womens Equality in African American Communities

Ellen Bravo is a powerful advocate for fair treatment of women, and she makes clear in this excellent book that more needs to be done to achieve real equality, eliminate glass ceilings, reward work fairly, and strengthen families. Her proposals for reform will be of value to policymakers, activists, and caring citizens alike.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy

If there is any hint of unfairness or power imbalance in your world, Ellen Bravo is your friend. Smart, kind, funny and very effective, she has at last put her lifetime of organizing skills into Taking on the Big Boys. She shows us how to fulfill hopes.

Gloria Steinem

Stop whatever you are doing and read this book! Taking on the Big Boys has it allanalysis of how many problems are rooted in gender inequality, fascinating first-person accounts of the struggle for equity, and a call to arms no thinking person can refuse. Ellen Bravo makes a compelling case that feminism is not only relevant but is a key to broader political and personal issues of our time.

Congresswoman Gwen Moore, member Committee on Small Business

Feminism is alive and well as long as working women and men read Ellen Bravos compelling call to action.

Robert B. Reich, Former U.S. Secretary of Labor, professor of public policy, University of California at Berkeley

This book reclaims feminism by redefining it, reinvesting it with a sense of promise for a broader constituencythe family. This smart diagnosis becomes a prescription for action and catalyst to change the prognosis for women in the 21st century.

Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton, Wisconsin

Finally, an answer to the Mommy Wars and opting-out myth! Taking on the Big Boys changes the conversation, showing the price we all have to pay when society fails to support parents dual responsibilities. Happily, fixing the problem is not only the right thing to do, but good for everyone. Time to take on the Big Boys!

Joan Blades, cofounder of MoveOn! and coauthor of The Motherhood Manifesto

In this eloquent and bold book, Ellen Bravo brings feminism back into the national spotlight. She enlarges our understanding of feminism by connecting it to the domination of our culture by the rich and powerful. She may spur us to challenge that domination.

Howard Zinn, author of Peoples History of the United States

The writing is enchanting, the information helpful and the stories accessible. By the end, Ellen Bravo convinces us that change is possiblehow refreshing to end on a high note.

Amy Richards, coauthor of Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future

I love this book! Its a myth-buster and an eye-opener with an easy-to-read, compelling new take. Whether youre a policy specialist or a single mom, its a must read. Dream the world you want, it urgesand provides a valuable blueprint to do just that. What an important contribution to building the world we all need and deserve.

Linda Chavez-Thompson, executive vice president, AFL-CIO

Thanks to Bravo for a book filled with well-told lessons about what feminism is: ordinary women making extraordinary changes that benefit women, men and our democracy. As she says, they arent just smashing the glass ceiling, they are redesigning the buildings. Read it and youll want to strap on your tool belt.

Marie Wilson, executive director, The White House Project

Taking on the Big Boys is an unusually effective blend of scholarly research and personal experience, of humor and outrage. Ellen Bravo is a good storyteller who provides us with an insightful and compelling analysis. This is a book that is well-grounded in academic literature and practical experiences, and will make both students and advocates of social justice smarter and wiser.

Dennis Dresang, founding director, LaFollette Public Policies Institute, University of Wisconsin

Ellen Bravo has written an elegant, inspiring book that should put Big Boys everywhere on notice. Read this book to see how other women did it, and then prepare to do it yourself.

Rinku Sen, publisher, ColorLines Magazine

Taking on the Big Boys is more than a book about women in the workplace. It defines a lifetime of courage, dedication, and activism by its author. Ellen Bravos name has justly become synonymous with womens rights. Her influence found in organizing efforts, testimony, courses in womens studies, books and essays, and especially advice and friendship have left indelible marks on the lives of countless women, and yes, men just like me. This book reminds us that there is still work to do when it comes to eliminating gender inequality.

Herb Kohl, United States Senator

TAKING ON THE BIG BOYS

Mariam K. Chamberlain Series on Social and Economic Justice

Taxes Are a Womans Issue: Reframing the Debate
Mimi Abramovitz and Sandra Morgen with the
National Council for Research on Women

TAKING ON
THE BIG
BOYS

OR WHY FEMINISM IS GOOD FOR FAMILIES,
BUSINESS, AND THE NATION

Ellen Bravo

Published by The Feminist Press at the City University of New York

The Graduate Center

365 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10016

www.feministpress.org

First Feminist Press Edition, 2007.

Copyright 2007 by Ellen Bravo

All rights reserved.

Lyrics from the song Sister by Antibalas appear courtesy of Ninja tune.

No part of this book may be reproduced or used, stored in any information retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission from The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bravo, Ellen.